Burning Bridges
by DOHKAY
Summary: As Kakashi's ANBU mission to the Wave Country comes to a sudden end, he meets a samurai whose past has forced her to never trust any ninja. She is hired by a mysterious thug to assassinate him for the sake of her own son's life. KakaxOC SUMMARY INSIDE
1. Chapter 1

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_**Summary: As Kakashi's ANBU mission to the Wave Country comes to a sudden end, he meets a samurai whose past has forced her to never trust any ninja. She is hired by a mysterious thug to assassinate him for the sake of her own son's life. Will she carry out her mission or will her feelings for the infamous Copy Ninja get in the way and cause her to lose her son to a deadly disease forever? Will Kakashi, leader of his own elite ANBU squad, return the woman's feelings? Or force back his emotions for the protection of himself and his country?**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters except for Tomoe, Sato, and Yahiko. Also, the rating might go up in later chapters, but that won't be for some time. Just a heads up for you readers. Enjoy!  
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**Burning Bridges**

**Chapter 1.**

It was a chilly fall evening in the Wave Country, many of it's people were beginning to retire while others had decided to start their night in the local bars. Inside were a three man group of ninja, they each bore their Konoha headbands around their heads and were drinking after the long day. The two that sat near the corner were conversing quietly with one another, and once in a while laughing at a joke or statement the other had spoken. The third member sat beside them and finished his drink calmly not speaking a word. His silver hair was spiked and styled strangely, his headband covered his left eye and the rest of his face was covered behind a mask, the only visible feature being his right eye. He held his empty sake cup rubbing the edges slightly with both his thumbs, as he did this he was going over every detail of the day he and his squad had done.

Being in the ANBU really could drain the energy out of a person, on a normal day that is, today hadn't been normal at all. They were ordered by the Hokage to track down a rogue nin who had fled into the Wave Country and so they did. They spent nearly half the day tracking him down, even with his hounds he was hard to track, he knew how to cover his scent and wipe out any trace of his identity. But luckily for them they had managed to pick up on a recent scent and track him down, the chase itself was also quite difficult, he managed to throw them off with a couple of dopple gangers but with his sharingan he manged to see through the illusion and track down the real guy. But when he finally got to him, he had been taken down by someone else. He couldn't see who, like him, they were hidden behind a mask, at first they proposed the person was a Hunter-nin but that couldn't be confirmed.

His right eye closed and he focused harder on the appearance of the ninja, he tried to remember what it was they had said to them but he couldn't remember, the alcohol was starting to kick in. He felt someone bump into his shoulder and sit to his left but he didn't bother to look over at them, still trying to remember what the mysterious person had spoken to them. He sighed heavily and his teammates beside him turned and smiled, "Don't look so gloomy, Kakashi! Especially on your birthday!"

He turned to them and smiled underneath his mask, "Oh so you did remember, Sato?"

"Of course, we couldn't forget it if we tried," The oldest of the group, Sato, laughed and pinched Kakashi's cheek, "So how old are ya, 13?"

Kakashi laughed and lightly smacked his comrade's hand off from his hand, "Ooh, so close, actually I'll be 19 in..." He stared at the digital clock that hung high above the cabinets of alcohol, "...two minutes." He looked back at his teammates who were still trying to make out the florescent numbers that shined brightly, their cheeks were slightly pink from the amount of sake consumed. One of them stood abruptly from their stool, Kakashi looked over to him, his eye widening a little as he began to teeter over but caught his balance quickly. "You alright, Yahiko?"

"Ya, ya, jus' needta find a bathroom," He scratched his head and attempted to take a step forward but almost fell over again, Sato laughed and grabbed his arm pulling it around his neck to support him.

"Take it easy Yahiko, you drunk." He grinned and looked back to Kakashi who simply shook his head at the scene the two of them alone were causing.

"Right, sorry, I don't feel so good..." Yahiko's face paled and the man holding him quickly began to search for a sign of the restrooms, the two stumbled deeper into the bar and Kakashi couldn't help but laugh as Yahiko proceeded to vomit all over Sato who let out a cry of disgust. The bar tender grabbed their cups and empty bottle of sake, he too had been laughing at the two comical ninjas.

"That's some team you got there."

Kakashi looked up to the man and simply nodded, "They're a handful, alright."

The man chuckled and finished rinsing their cups putting them away behind the bar and began to wipe down the table, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Kakashi stared dully at the man for a moment and before he could answer the person who had seated themselves to his left spoke out for him, "We'll both have another shot of sake, please."

The bar tender nodded and pulled out two small cups but Kakashi shook his head in protest, "Thank you but I really shouldn't-"

"It's your birthday isn't it?" Kakashi turned to the person offering his drink and was surprised to see the two big hazel eyes that had been watching him the entire time, the woman smiled softly, "I couldn't help but overhear the conversation you were having with your friends, but you said it would be your birthday in two minutes correct? Why not let me buy you a drink?"

She pointed to the clock and Kakashi glanced over it, it read twelve o'clock. He looked back to the woman strangely, she tucked a strand of her chestnut brown hair behind her ear and let out a chuckle, "So is that a yes?"

Kakashi quickly looked to the bar tender who finished pouring the sake into his cup and placed it before him, she picked hers up and held it high turning on her stool to face him. The silver-haired ninja picked his up as well and turned to the woman who patiently waited for him to clink his glass with hers, she smiled and tilted her head to the side. Her soft hair swished as she did so and shined brightly under the light that hung above the two, "Cheers," She put the glass to her lips and inhaled the strong alcohol before drinking it and placed the empty glass on the bar.

Kakashi eyed her strangely before he did the same, the alcohol burned at his throat and felt like electricity going throughout his entire body. He could feel the hazel eyes of the woman lingering on him, his eye slowly traveled and met with hers, she smiled once again. "So, how does it feel?" He continued to stare at her, waiting for her to continue, but she didn't.

"How does what feel?"

"Well...how does it feel to be one year closer to dying?"

Kakashi's eye widened and the woman began to laugh, he eyed her strangely as she clutched her stomach and pounded her fist on the bar. Kakashi looked around at the few customers that were watching him and whispering to each other, he scratched his head nervously and the woman's laughs began to die down, she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked back at the slightly embarrassed ninja. "Aah, I'm only kidding of course," Kakashi chuckled at that statement, he didn't find their situation to be funny at all, "I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself, my name is Tomoe Amayu." She reached a hand out and he grabbed hers in his and shook it.

"Kakashi."

She nodded and the strand of hair fell in front of her face as she did so, she quickly tucked behind her ear again and stared at him with her hazel eyes. For a moment they stared at each other, taking in the others appearance, well Kakashi was at least. She had shoulder length hair that was cut in a stylish sort of bob, her bangs were perfectly cut and aligned hiding her thin eyebrows. Her nose was small and stuck up slightly giving her a mouse-like appearance, her skin was a light tan and adorned with freckles. She wore a spaghetti strap black dress that came a few inches above her knees, her legs were long and slender and she wore small black heels. She was a woman of natural beauty, she didn't fit in with the rest of the woman he had seen in the Wave Country, actually, the entire week spent here, he hadn't seen her at all.

Tomoe cleared her throat bringing Kakashi out of his thoughts, he really shouldn't have drank that last shot, he could barely focus.

"Did you hear me?"

"N-No, I'm sorry. Could you repeat it again, please?"

She chuckled lightly and spun back and forth in her stool, "I asked what you were doing here in the Wave Country."

"Oh, we were here on a business proposal for some merchandise that we wanted shipped to Konoha." He lied casually.

Tomoe placed a hand on the bar and gave him a weird look, Kakashi looked at her as she twisted a strand of her hair and eyed him playfully, it was quite cute. "Is that so? That's strange."

"How so?"

"Well," She moved closer to Kakashi and her voice became low, although he could still hear her over the voices and clinging of glasses that resounded through the bar. He could smell the sake that lingered in her cool breath, it was teasing almost, "I'm sure you've heard that this Country isn't doing as well as it used to, especially with all the underground thugs that seem to be taking over the region," She looked around as she spoke, hoping that no one had heard what she had shared with the man.

"I haven't actually, but so far we haven't run into any problems."

"Ah, well aren't you lucky?" She smiled and stretched her arms out rubbing them as the cool air of the night filled the bar, "This village's not what it used to be," She looked around at the people who drank merrily with each other, others alone drowning themselves with liquor. Kakashi too followed her gaze and came across a woman in a booth sobbing silently to herself, "We used to be a country based on trust and we depended on each other for support. But lately it seems that it has all been falling apart, with all the innocent killings we fear that if we try and stand up we'll all be killed too. And now, there's no one to turn to. The only loyalties we have lie within ourselves, well that goes for me at least." She shrugged her shoulders and stood from her spot and let out a yawn, Kakashi stood as well.

"You know," He began, Tomoe looked over to him, "You can't really blame these people for fearing something that's alien to them. They've lived their lives peacefully for years and now that someone has come to disrupt that peace, they don't know how to fight back. Maybe it's the threat of war that frightens them, but peace will eventually come back for you people," Tomoe gazed up at him, she was about a foot shorter than him, and she hadn't noticed how fit he was, he was handsome, well what she could see of him. She smiled, "One day someone will rise and put the violence to an end, this I know."

Kakashi smiled underneath the fabric of his mask and looked down at Tomoe who was staring up at him, her hazel eyes glistening warmly. Her soft pink lips stretched into a bright smile, she let out a giggle and ran her fingers through her hair, "That sounds about right," She reached for her hand bag and pulled a bill out and placed it underneath her and Kakashi's cups, "You're very wise for your age, Kakashi."

"You don't seem that much older than me," He eyed her curiously, "You don't look any older than 21."

"What makes you say that?" Tomoe crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow, her head tilted to the side and she smiled again.

"I'm wise. You said so yourself."

Tomoe's head perked up and she burst out with laughter, Kakashi began to laugh as well. "I guess you're right!"

"So, how old are you?"

Tomoe quickly tapped his forehead protector and smiled playfully, "You never ask a woman her age!"

"I guess I'll never know, huh?"

Tomoe smiled warmly, "Yeah, I guess so." She headed towards the exit of the bar and Kakashi followed after her, dodging a waitress and a few drunk people as they left. Tomoe stared down at the empty boardwalk and then looked back up to Kakashi, "Well it's been fun and all, but I guess it's time to go our separate ways."

"We'll be doing a lot of guessing tonight, won't we?"

Tomoe chuckled lightly and shrugged, "If you're so wise shouldn't you know the answer?"

"Being wise doesn't mean you have the answer to everything."

Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets and stared down at Tomoe, she stared out at the ocean and the moon that reflected clearly over it, like two different worlds. "I won't say goodbye because we'll meet again, right?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, "It's possible."

The woman nodded and started down the empty boardwalk, she stopped halfway and turned to look back at Kakashi. She looked down at her feet then up to him once again, "I know we will."

Kakashi smiled and nodded his head, "If you want."

"Is that what you want?" Tomoe questioned with a smile, she waved and continued down the boardwalk clutching her handbag to her hip and into the quiet city she called home. Kakashi watched her until she was out of sight and he could no longer hear her heels as they collided with the wood of the boardwalk, the only thing to keep him company was the ripples of the waves underneath him. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked out at the ocean, the reflection of the moon was bright and clear, it was like he could stick his hand into the ocean and fall right into another world. For a moment, he couldn't tell what was real and what was the reflection, he shook his head and turned back to the bar. He really needed to lay down.

Kakashi walked back into the bar and saw his teammate dragging Yahiko towards him and out of the bar, "I already paid for our drinks, let's get this one back to the inn."

"Alright, I'll take him off your hands for you."

"Thanks, Kakashi." He carefully pried Yahiko's limp hand off from around his neck and Kakashi grabbed Yahiko's waist to support him, after moving Yahiko around they continued down the opposite way of the boardwalk and back into the rural part of the country. "What time are we moving out tomorrow?"

"Early, I don't want to be here any longer than we're supposed to. We have to give the Hokage our report."

"I wouldn't want to be in Yahiko's place right now, imagine the headache he's going to be waking up with in the morning." He chuckled and the three turned the corner and entered the inn they were staying at, "I'll check us in, you take Yahiko upstairs and to bed."

Kakashi nodded and went around the receptionists desk and up the stairs behind it, he took each step carefully, not wanting to lose his balance and drop Yahiko. He finally reached the top of the stairs and he continued down the hall, "Was it three doors to the left and take a right? Or three doors on the right and take a left..." The Anbu sighed with frustration and continued with his first guess, luckily for him he made the right choice. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the key to their room and unlocked the door, he stumbled in and dropped Yahiko on the closest bed. Kakashi sat next to him and looked down at his drunk comrade, he was snoring loudly and twitching randomly, Kakashi smiled wishing he had a camera to capture the moment.

Sato walked into the room shortly after closing and locking the door behind him, he headed towards the window and began to stretch his arms, placing a hand on his shoulder and rotating his arm about, he paused for a moment to think, "What about that other ninja, you know the Hunter-nin?"

"We can't say for sure they were a Hunter-nin, but what about them?"

"We can't just go to the Hokage empty handed."

"I already sent Pakun to inform the Hokage of what happened."

"And the body?"

"There wasn't much to recover..." Kakashi remembered the blood splattered all over the forest floor and the empty eyes of the rogue nin as the ninja held it's decapitated head under their arm, "By the way Sato, do you remember what it was they said to us?"

Sato scratched his chin and walked over to the bed beside Kakashi's, "It's on the tip of my tongue, it was something along the lines of 'making it easy for them', or something like that."

"And after that?"

"...'I won't say goodbye, because we'll meet again.' It was pretty weird."

Kakashi nodded his head and placed his elbows on his knees looking down at the floor, he could have sworn he heard that exact statement before tonight. He pushed his forehead protector up and rubbed his head, alcohol really did mess a person up, he wasn't one to forget things so easily.

"Who was that girl you were talking to at the bar?"

Kakashi looked up to Sato who laid back on the mattress with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed, "Just some girl who bought me a drink, she was listening to our conversation and bought out for my birthday."

"Really now? She was pretty cute, no?"

Kakashi didn't answer Sato knowing that he usually didn't answer a lot of his questions. She was, in no doubt, attractive, but she was also a distraction.

Then in hit him.

Kakashi jolted upright and his eye was wide in shock, he pictured Tomoe's face staring out at the ocean repeating the words that Sato had spoken minutes ago. Then an image of the masked ninja holding the rogue's head under their arm repeated the same thing. Her voice was muffled but still clear enough to hear, it was definitely her voice.

How could he not notice it before?

He clutched the sheets of the bed angrily, "Damn it..."

Sato opened one of his eyes and stared at Kakashi, "What's wrong?"

"She was disguised as a Hunter-nin so she could get away easily, she used a katana to kill him, not the usually medical needles they use. She was an assassin!"

"Who?"

"We let her get away... I was so close to getting her."

Sato sat up confused, "Who? Who is 'SHE'?"

"Tomoe!" Kakashi looked back to Sato who stood from his bed and scratched the back of his head confused.

"Tomoe...?"

Kakashi sighed and tried to calm himself down, he was getting too riled up over something that was out of his hands at the moment, "The ninja we saw that killed Kyo was an assassin."

"What?!"

Yahiko turned on his side and mumbled softly but the two Anbu ignored him, Kakashi's voice became low as to not try and disturb Yahiko anymore than the two already had, "She was the same girl you saw me talking to at the bar, Tomoe Amayu."

Sato's eyes widened and Kakashi headed towards the window and stared out at the ocean, how could he have let her get past him so easily? He could blame the alcohol but in the end the fault was all his.

"We have to find her! She couldn't have gone far-"

"It's too late, if we move out now we'll look too suspicious. All we can do is wait."

"Wait for what?"

"For her. She said we'll meet again, right?" Kakashi crossed his arms and leaned his head against the wall and looked down as the last lights that lined the boardwalk began to dim, "It's not time to say goodbye, not yet." He knew there was a high probability that it would never happen, but a part of him wanted him to wait it out. A part of him knew it wouldn't be long before they met again.

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**Review if you liked. Any kind of criticism will be greatly appreciated. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Summary: As Kakashi's ANBU mission to the Wave Country comes to a sudden end, he meets a woman whose past has forced her to never trust any ninja. She is hired by a mysterious thug to assassinate him for the sake of her son's life. Will she carry out her mission or will her feelings for the infamous Copy Ninja get in the way and change her opinion on him and cause her to lose her son to a deadly disease forever? Will Kakashi, leader of his own ANBU squad, return the woman's feelings? Or force back his emotions for the protection of himself and his country?**_

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**Burning Bridges**

**Chapter 2.  
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The next morning Kakashi was the first to wake up, the sun was just beginning to rise over the harbor of Wave Country. He stretched and headed towards the bathroom, he pulled his pants down and placed a hand on the wall to support himself. His right eye was still blurry and he blinked several times to make his vision clear. _One, Two, Flush._

Kakashi washed his hands and face and looked up at his reflection in the mirror, he traced the scar over his left eye and sighed. He opened the door and turned off the light in the bathroom, he grabbed his headband off the night stand and adjusted it on his head so it fell over his eye like it always did. He looked out at the boardwalk and saw a couple of fisherman preparing their boat down by the harbor, then he noticed another figure sitting on the edge of the boardwalk. They were talking to one of the fishermen, Kakashi couldn't recognize the person but as soon as they tilted their head back to laugh he knew: Tomoe.

Kakashi closed the window and headed towards the door, he looked back to Sato who slumbered peacefully on his bed and to Yahiko who was tangled in the bed sheets. Both of them completely knocked out, they wouldn't wake up for another hour, it was more than enough time for him to get to her. He unlocked the door and opened it quietly slipping out making sure not to wake the other two that slept peacefully, he closed the door and locked it with his key then hurried down the hall dodging the maid's carts that were outside the rooms they were cleaning. He hurried down the stairs, around the clerk's desk and outside of the inn, turning the corner he began to jog down the dirt road until the boardwalk came to view. The sun appeared from behind the horizon bringing a dim orange light over the dock, the woman had one leg tucked under her chin and the other dangling over the boardwalk. She didn't turn to look at Kakashi who carefully approached her and waited for the fisherman to sail far enough away from the two.

She was dressed in a traditional black jump suit, her katana strapped to her hip and her feet wrapped in white bandages. This was the real Tomoe, the assassin he found in the forest the day before.

"I told you we'd meet again, Kakashi," She looked up at the Anbu and his usually dull eye glared down at her, she raised an eyebrow, "You don't look very happy to see me. Why's that?"

"You know why."

"I was just doing my job."

"And what's that?"

"Classified information." She grunted as she stood up quickly, she held her hands high above her head and stretched her limbs, "Now what?"

Kakashi noticed how she placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side smiling at him, as if all this was a joke. Tomoe rubbed the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes in concentration, Kakashi narrowed his eye. "So who exactly are you?"

She opened one eye and smiled placing a hand on the handle of her katana, Kakashi was quick to pull his kunai out and point it at her. Tomoe glanced at it and wrinkled her nose, "You really think that's going to stop me?" She quickly pushed his hand aside and charged at him pulling her blade from it's sheath and swinging it at him, Kakashi easily jumped back but was caught by surprise by her speed. Again she swung her blade down diagonally but he managed to block it with his kunai and push her off him, she skidded back and smiled. "You're pretty strong, for a Konoha ninja that is."

Kakashi didn't say anything, he dug his hands into his bag and pulled several shuriken and flung it towards her, she sighed and dodged them quickly with her blade. They bounced off and fell into the ocean, she held the blade in front of her face and the light from the sun reflected off of it for a moment blinding Kakashi, when he looked back she had disappeared. He looked up and saw her falling down towards him, she swung her blade down slicing his arm as he shielded himself from her attack. She jumped back and flicked his blood off her blade, splattering it across the boardwalk, "Not strong enough though."

Kakashi held his arm painfully and stared at Tomoe, "You're pretty fast," Tomoe smiled and held her katana forward gripping it tightly.

"Thank you." Tomoe smiled and stared at Kakashi, "But you know, flattery will get you nowhere, especially with me."

Kakashi chuckled and before she could process what had happened, he was flying towards her from the side and swiped her into the ocean, she barely had any time to block his kick. She stared up at Kakashi as her body slammed into the cold ocean and he became nothing more than a blur, her katana slid across the boardwalk and fell in as well. Kakashi stepped to the edge of the dock and stared down into the ocean, he watched as she swam to the surface and gasped for air grabbing her katana before it sunk into the ocean.

"Not fast enough I see, so I guess you'll be coming with me."

"Still guessing, eh Kakashi?" She questioned rhetorically spitting out the salty water from her mouth, she floated on her back and stared at the ninja who gazed down at her. "You'll just have to kill me." She shrugged and dove into the water swimming to the other side of the dock, Kakashi followed her until she disappeared under the boardwalk. He waited for her to appear on the other side but he saw nothing. He heard a creaking sound underneath him and then a crack as the metal blade came up from the wood almost penetrating him. He jumped back but each time he did she would continue to try and strike him, he ended up sprinting backwards as the blade was eventually dragged splitting the boardwalk down the middle.

Tomoe jumped from the water and out onto the dock once again, dripping wet with a grin on her face as she continued to strike Kakashi repeatedly, by this time the sun had made it inches above the horizon. He carefully analyzed each strike and dodged it, Kakashi managed to smack her hand down and try to throw a punch into her gut but she rolled back into a crouched position. She sprinted towards Kakashi dragging her blade against the ground before pulling it up to slice him diagonally, Kakashi pulled back and she grazed his cheek cutting the fabric of his mask slightly.

Tomoe jumped back panting and holding her side painfully, if she hadn't been kicked earlier she would've been able to put him down with her last attack. She sensed a quick object hurdling her way and deflected it with her sword, she looked past Kakashi and saw the two other men he had been with at the bar. She cursed and sheathed her sword, she turned around quickly and ran into the forest, she looked over her shoulder and bowed to Kakashi, "It's been fun! See you soon!"

Kakashi wiped the blood dripping from his face and watched as she hopped onto the trees and vanished from sight, Yahiko came up beside him and shortly after him was Sato.

"Was that her, Kakashi?"

"Yeah."

"Are you alright?" Yahiko gasped seeing the cuts on his cheek and arm, Kakashi simply nodded and relaxed.

"What happened?" Sato asked as he observed the planks that floated in the ocean and the boardwalk split down the middle, "Did SHE do all this?"

Kakashi nodded again, he was surprised himself. She had the strength to use the katana to destroy nearly the entire boardwalk and she was an expert with it as well. "I confronted her about it and she didn't tell me much, but that it was classified information. Whoever she's working for doesn't want us to know."

"It's valuable information either way," Yahiko concluded. Sato inspected the damage closely and sighed.

"She's going to be a problem."

"If that's the case we should hurry back to Konoha."

Sato and Yahiko eyed him carefully before agreeing and the three quickly retreated before anyone could spot them.

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The three Anbu hopped from tree limb to tree limb hidden beneath their animal masks, neither had spoken since their departure from the Wave Country a day ago. Kakashi had been replaying Tomoe's movements over in his head, the way she gripped her blade and her footing seemed different from the average ninja. The way she delivered each attack with such precision and the right amount of accuracy... Was it possible that she wasn't a ninja at all, but a samurai perhaps?

It would explain a lot, but she was very quick. And her timing when she blocked his shuriken was perfect, she had a good eye, it's needed of a samurai. She was graceful as well, her technique was very feminine but powerful. What was strange was that the whole time during their brawl he sensed no chakra from her, how could one become so powerful without chakra? Especially someone so young, she was strong enough to be a master, and the thought of a normal person like her achieving that type of skill was mind blowing.

He decided to toss the thought aside and focus on his main objective, to get to Konoha and report to the Hokage. But what would he say about Tomoe? Did she pose a threat to them at all? Or was it a nuisance to brush off? Kakashi's brain rattled with thoughts of the situation that he barely managed to jump over the tree limb before him, he lost balance and fell down but managed to land on his feet. Sato and Yahiko landed beside him.

"Are you alright?" Yahiko asked with concern as he towered over Kakashi.

Sato scanned the area sensing no one around them, "Maybe we should take a short break."

Kakashi nodded and the three plopped down on the giant limb, Yahiko popped the top off his flask and chugged down some water, Sato did the same. Kakashi stared down at his bandaged arm, he couldn't get Tomoe out of his mind.

"Is she still on your mind Kakashi?"

"Yeah, you could say that, I've been thinking about her technique."

Yahiko wiped the water dripping from his mouth and pushed the top of his flask back into the top, he pulled his mask back down and stared at his two comrades, "Technique?"

"Yeah, I've never seen a ninja handle a katana they way she did."

"Sounds pretty arousing if you ask me..." Sato laughed and Yahiko chuckled as well, Kakashi found his quirky statement to be funny but he didn't laugh. He was still deep in thought. "Every ninja has a different style of fighting, Kakashi, it's not very unusual."

Yahiko nodded, "What are you implying?"

"Well, I'm implying that she might not be a ninja at all, but a samurai. A master even. It's quite possible the way she carefully analyzed every one of my attacks and was able to dodge them, she was pretty quick with her attacks as well."

Sato sat erect and became interested, "A samurai? Don't see many of those anymore."

"Yeah! The way she blocked my kunai was pretty impressive, she didn't even flinch."

"That's what I was thinking, she was able to analyze the motion of your throw and block it for it to lose all momentum and just fly off in a different direction than the one intended." Kakashi scratched his head, "And the way she attacked me from underneath the boardwalk after I knocked her into the water, she's pretty strong as well."

Yahiko wowed in amazement, "I've heard stories of samurai and for you to actually fight one is just amazing! She must be incredibly powerful!"

Sato nodded, "We need to look out for her, she seems to pose quite a threat."

Kakashi and Yahiko nodded in agreement, "Also, the whole time I was fighting I didn't sense any sort of chakra from her, and for her to be that quick and powerful was inhuman in a way."

Sato stood from his spot, "Impressive. I'm beginning to like this Tomoe more and more." Yahiko and Kakashi chuckled and stood as well, "Let's get going."

"Right!" Yahiko chirped.

"You got it." Kakashi replied in a laid back tone, the three continued to jump into the forest.

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Tomoe watched silently from her spot down on the forest floor as the three ninja silently jumped from one limb to the other, unaware that she had been following them this entire time. She smiled and walked out and searched the area, double-checking the surroundings. She turned around and stared at the bushes smiling, "You can come out, Kenshin, it's safe."

"Oh, momma, when can we rest? I'm tired..." A small boy crawled out from under neath the bushes, rubbing the dirt off his clothes and picking the leaves out of his copper hair. His hazel eyes were identical to his mother's but were half opened and appeared empty. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and Tomoe walked over to him and squatted before him, she opened her mouth to speak but frowned at the dirt on his mouse-like nose.

The woman pulled at her sleeve and pinched it with a bit of her spit and dabbed at her son's face, "Hold still, you've got some dirt on you."

"Momma stop it!" The boy whined pushing his mother's persistent hand away from his face, but it was no use, he was too tired to fight back. He sighed with frustration and groaned as she continued to wipe away the grime.

"There! Now you can see those cute freckles of yours." She smiled down at him and the boy yawned, "Just hold on a little bit longer, we'll be at Konoha in no time."

Kenshin looked up at his mother as she stood and began to walk away, she paused when she felt him latch onto her leg. Tomoe looked down and smiled gently at her son who snuggled against her thigh, "Can you carry me, momma?"

"Of course, but only for a little while, you're not as light as you used to be."

The boy nodded tiredly and Tomoe knelt down and he proceed to climb onto her back burying his head into his mother's warm neck, she stood balancing herself, adjusting to the new weight on her back. "Ready, Kenshin?"

He popped his head up and gave a weak smile, he threw a small fist into the air, "Konoha, here we come!"

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**I wasn't going to upload this chapter for a while, but I've been having problems with my computer so I wanted to send it out now in case the worst happened. I hope you enjoy it and please review.**

**(Tomoe and Kenshin do not look anything like the characters from Nobuhiro's Rurouni Kenshin. Although they are two of my favorite characters from the manga, I did take their names for the use of my story, but nothing else.)**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Summary: As Kakashi's ANBU mission to the Wave Country comes to a sudden end, he meets a woman whose past has forced her to never trust any ninja. She is hired by a mysterious thug to assassinate him for the sake of her son's life. Will she carry out her mission or will her feelings for the infamous Copy Ninja get in the way and change her opinion on him and cause her to lose her son to a deadly disease forever? Will Kakashi, leader of his own ANBU squad, return the woman's feelings? Or force back his emotions for the protection of himself and his country?**_

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**Burning Bridges**

**Chapter 3.  
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Sarutobi stared down at his lively village from the top of the administration building, he held his hands behind his back and his hat was tilted forward shielding his face from the sun. He inhaled deeply and pulled the pipe from his mouth and exhaled releasing the smoke into the air that was blown away by a cool breeze, he looked up and watched the few clouds slowly travel across the sky. It was a beautiful day in the Land of Fire, he usually came up here to escape from the masses of paperwork he had piling up on his desk, he would eventually get to all of it. There was really no rush, the main thing he was focused on was the message he had received a few days ago from the ninja dog, Pakkun.

At this thought he closed his eyes and sucked his teeth, it was a very troubling situation, not only was the rogue-nin in question dead, but by the hands of another person and not his assigned Anbu. There was also the failure to retrieve the body, what evidence could they possibly bring to him? He rubbed his temples and sighed, being the Hokage certainly brought a lot of pressure.

Behind him there were three clouds of smoke that appeared, as it cleared the animal masks of Kakashi, Yahiko and Sato were revealed. The Hokage took another long drag at his pipe and remained with his back to them.

"Sorry for the delay, sir."

"Don't worry about it, so what news did you bring me?"

Kakashi pulled a scroll from the front pocket of his Anbu vest and stepped towards the Hokage, the old man turned and grabbed it from his hand. The Hokage turned to the other two who stood still and they both bowed when he turned to them.

"Yahiko. Sato. How were your travels?"

Sato looked up, "They went quite well, Hokage, thank you."

"Same here, except Yahiko couldn't hold in his liquor."

Yahiko glared underneath his mask at the middle aged man, "It's not my fault I'm a light weight!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sato crossed his arms and shook his head, the Hokage smiled at the two and opened the scroll carefully reading the hand written ink.

Kakashi gazed down at the village, the citizens looking nothing more than black specks slowly moving through the many small streets Konoha had. He missed being home, it was quite different from the Wave Country. There was no distrust amongst many of the villagers. Nothing, as of yet, had threatened to disturb this peace, and for that, Kakashi was grateful.

"Yahiko, Sato, you may be dismissed. I would like to speak with Kakashi alone."

"Yes, sir." They both spoke in unison and disappeared.

"This woman," the Hokage began to roll up the scroll and look at Kakashi as he spoke, "did she bear a headband of any sort?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No sir, she spoke of the Wave Country as if she was a resident there. But the last day we spent there was the first time I had seen her." The Hokage nodded and sighed heavily, "I apologize for not bringing you anymore information, this was all we could gather up. She wasn't the easiest person to deal with."

"How so?"

The silver-haired man scratched his head and leaned against the railings off the building, "I saw her again at the docks and attempted to confront her about what had happened and she attacked me. It was a quick battle but long enough for me to see what fighting style she used."

"Go on," The Hokage stated with interest.

"Her fighting style, seems more along those of a samurai than a ninja. She was quick and knew how to use her katana well, she performed with the skills of a master." Kakashi was getting a bit bored having to repeat this for the third time, he wanted to know more than what he already knew.

"A samurai... Strange...what would she be doing killing ninjas, unless she was hired. Or maybe threatened, but I doubt Kyo to be foolish enough to do that."

"I thought so too, I really don't know what more to explain to you besides her appearance."

The Hokage nodded and stared out at his village again, "This world is going through some hardships, and soon those hardships will come to Konoha. We, as ninjas, must be prepared to defend this village by any means necessary."

"Of course, sir."

Saruto looked over to the ninja and chuckled, "That's enough for today, go home and get some rest, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, sir. I'll be back tomorrow morning to check in."

"Ah don't worry about it, take a day or two to rest, you must be exhausted. Unless you want to come help Iruka with my paperwork?"

"On second thought, I AM feeling pretty drained, I should be getting some of that much needed rest. Later!"

Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the Hokage chuckled and shook his head, "What am I going to do with you, Kakashi?"

* * *

"IT'S SO HOT!" Kenshin collapsed and leaned on a trunk of a tree, he was drenched in sweat and his legs throbbed painfully. He began to cough violently as he tried to catch his breath, Tomoe ran to her son and rubbed his back soothingly. Kenshin looked up at his mother who seemed distracted by his scene. He simply smiled reassuringly, "I'm fine now, momma. Thank you."

Tomoe stared worryingly at her son but didn't argue, he looked pale, he had always been a sickly child but he didn't look so well. "If I had known it would be this difficult, I would have never brought you." She stood from her spot and pulled Kenshin up with her, she sensed a pair of eyes watching the two carefully but she didn't dare look in that direction. She clutched her son's hand tightly, Kenshin looked up to his mother than to her left. He saw a glint in the darkness of the forest and narrowed his eyes to see closely, Tomoe looked as well and gasped. She pulled him close to her and jumped high into the air barely dodging the wave of shuriken thrown their way, Kenshin wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. They landed back on the earth only to be surrounded by several Konoha ninja.

"We won't harm you or your child if you surrender to us."

Tomoe gritted her teeth and glanced down at her katana, she felt Kenshin's grip tightened and he began coughing once again, more violently than before. "Kenshin!" She looked down at the child in her arms, his body was slippery, and clamy in her arms. He leaned back against his mother breathing hard and fast, his gray jumpsuit stuck to his pale skin. Tomoe looked up at the ninja who inched closer and she hugged him tightly, glaring at them.

"Momma, please..."

Her hazel eyes calmed down at her son's command and she stood slowly and turned to face the leader of the group, a large man whose face was hidden behind bandages. "We surrender, just please, help my son..."

* * *

Kakashi was spread eagle on his bed with a book covering half of his face, he slowly opened his eye and yawned but realized that he had fallen asleep reading once again. He looked down at the book and pulled it from his face facing the page he had stopped reading. Closing it he mentally decided that he needed to pick up the latest copy of Icha Icha Paradise he reserved at the book store. He stretched his limbs and and adjusted his boxers slightly as he stood and headed towards the restroom, he reached into the shower and let it run waiting for the water to heat up while he released his fluids.

After the shower he attempted, poorly, to bandage his arm that had been cut by Tomoe. He sighed and pulled with his teeth the knot that he tied around it, he looked at it proud of his work but was completely let down when it slipped right off his arm and the bandages fell to the ground, "I'll never get this right."

There were several knocks at the door and Kakashi stood from his bed and opened the door slightly to peer outside, Yahiko waved happily to him.

"How are you feeling Kakashi?"

"Fine, want to come in?"

Yahiko shook his head, "No I'm just checking on you, haven't heard from you since we talked to the Hokage a day ago. Seems he's been pretty busy with other things, he hasn't asked for us."

"We aren't needed everyday, and we need a break once in a while."

Yahiko shrugged and leaned against Kakashi's door, "I know, but it gets so boring, I'd rather be out on a mission than sitting around all day."

Kakashi shrugged, Yahiko was one of the few people who enjoyed being on the Anbu squad, as dangerous as it was. He explained it was because he had nothing to lose, he had lost his family during the Kyuubi attack years ago and being a member of Anbu was a way to channel his anger. If he were to ever lose his position, then there would really be no other place for him in the world, it was a shame considering how young Yahiko was.

"Kakashi! Yahiko!"

The silver-haired ninja looked down the hallway from outside his door and saw Sato approaching him and Yahiko, "Yo."

"Hey, Sato, what's up?"

Sato smiled at the two, "Nothing, I'm out buying groceries for the wife. I thought I'd come pay this kid a visit," The gray-haired man put Kakashi in a head lock and rubbed his head violently with his fist. Kakashi pried him off quickly and tried to fix his already messy hair as best as he could, Yahiko swung his arms over the railings and sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Yahiko glanced at Sato and Kakashi from the corner of his pale green eyes, he looked out at the other buildings and placed a hand under his chin. "I've been wondering what that girl's been doing. You think we'll ever see her again?"

"Doubt it. Especially since the Hokage would rather keep us out of country affairs."

Yahiko shrugged, "Still," He closed one of his eyes and pointed a finger to Kakashi, "I'm pretty jealous you got to fight her."

Kakashi didn't reply, Yahiko always seemed jealous when he wasn't the one in a battle, it was in his violent nature. Sato on the other hand was on the opposite end of the pole. He was always the last to jump into a fight, with his old age, one small screw up and it could all be over in an instant. He also had a sick wife at home, Kakashi didn't understand why he wouldn't just retire, but it wasn't his place to say. So he decided it to be best to stay out of Yahiko's or Sato's business, they stayed out of his...for the most part.

"What about you, Kakashi?" Sato smirked and nudged the teenager's arm roughly, Yahiko grinned madly.

"Yeah, Kakashi, you been thinking about Tomoe?"

"No."

"Oh don't be so modest! I know what's inside that sick little head of yours!"

Sato shook his head and chuckled, Yahiko just couldn't take his eyes off of him, for a moment Kakashi looked away. He really wished he hadn't.

"You sly dog! You HAVE been thinking about her!!"

"Nothing to be ashamed about Kakashi, boys you're age start to feel weird things, and grow hair in strange places, it's nothing to worry about."

"What was that?" Kakashi tried to play it off cool, but he was as embarrassed as anyone would be at this point. He was praying none of his neighbors could hear any of this.

Sato and Yahiko rolled their eyes seeing straight through his facade, Kakashi sighed, "Well of course I have... She wasn't a bad looking girl."

"She was HOT!" Yahiko picture Tomoe in his head, he closed his eyes and did a hand motion tracing the outline of an hour glass, "Great figure, too."

"I guess, she was quite small in the chest area." Kakashi placed his hands on his chest, cupping them slightly to signify Tomoe's small cup size.

"Yeah, but she's got the backside to make up for it."

It grew silent for a moment as Yahiko's and Kakashi's minds began to wander, "Perverts!"

Kakashi and Yahiko looked to Sato who was shaking his head angrily, he opened his chocolate brown eyes and glared at them, "Is that all you two think about? What about personality?"

"Oh, you're referring to her abnormal strength?"

"Or the fact that she attacked Kakashi out of the blue?"

"Or maybe it's the maniacal cackle she calls a laugh?"

"Besides," Yahiko placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes, "Who are you to call us perverts when YOU'RE the one always making those sick comments?"

"I can't ever win with you two, can I?"

Yahiko and Kakashi shrugged and the older man sighed in defeat, once those two got started there would be no end to them. Which was why the three worked so well in a squad together, they knew their weaknesses and were able to balance each other out when needed. Kakashi looked down at the clock on Sato's wrist, "I should get going, I pre-ordered the new volume of Icha...um, a book, and I need to pick it up."

Sato laughed and Yahiko stuck his tongue out in disgust, "I don't know how you're into such filth, Kakashi."

"Boys will be boys," Sato defended and Kakashi glared at him, it was annoying when he treated him like such a child. "I better hurry to the wife, she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Alright, see ya."

"Bye!"

Sato hurried down the hallway and Yahiko jumped from the railing and hopped onto the roof of the apartment building below Kakashi's and continued towards the training grounds. Kakashi locked his apartment and continued down the opposite side of the hallway, he stopped and looked towards the gates of Konoha, 'Wonder where she is right now?'

* * *

Tomoe shivered and her teeth clattered together as ice cold droplets of water fell from her hair and dripped down her face, rolling down her cheek and falling off her chin. Her wrists were beginning to burn from the rope tied tightly around them and skin on her ankles began to peel as they were also tied and rubbing together.

Her hazel eyes were closed and she shut her mouth to keep as quiet as possible, she was out of breath and exhausted from running to Konoha. She watched as the medical ninjas carried away her son to the hospital, at least he was going to be safe now. She was told that he would be taken very good care of him, and she could trust the people of Konoha, they weren't anything like the people of her village.

A pair of feet stopped in front of her but Tomoe didn't bother to look up at her interrogator, the man pulled a chair up in front of her and sat down staring at her.

"Who are you?" He questioned in a deep, thunderous voice that echoed in the small room.

"Tomoe Amayu."

"Who do you work for?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you that information." She opened her eyes and adjusted to the dim light, on the table behind him were several kunai and beside it her katana.

"Who do you work for?"

"How many times do I have to answer that?"

"Until I get the answer I want, now talk." Tomoe wrinkled her nose and looked up at the man who's face was covered in bandages, a scar coming across his face, then an idea popped into her mind. A crazy one, and she instantly smiled at the man, he cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Are you finally going to fess up?"

"Yes," She began as she straightened her back out and gazed at her interrogator, "but...I'll only spill my heart out if you bring him here."

The man gazed down at her confused, he rolled his eyes and stood from his spot dragging the chair back to the table, "The Hokage has other things to do than waste his time with you."

"Not the Hokage!" Tomoe's head fell back and she stared up at the stone ceiling.

"Who then?"

She smiled remembering the silver hair that seemed to fall over in an awkward style, "Hatake Kakashi."

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**Reviews? I hope you readers are enjoying it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I didn't realize until just now that I still had the summary up. Hahaha, oohh myy. I am sorry for the late update! Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**And thank you to KakashiKrazed and Christi for reviewing. Also, for everyone who added this story to their favorites/alert list. Thanks so much. :)**

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**Burning Bridges**

**Chapter 4.  
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Kakashi scratched his palm roughly as he waited in line patiently, the child beside him looked up at him, snot dripping from his nose and he smiled at him. Kakashi smiled with his eye knowing that the kid would understand the returning gesture, he continued to scratch his palm.

"You know mister, my mom always tells me when your palm gets real itchy someone's talking about you."

"Is that so?" Kakashi didn't believe in superstitions, he liked to be more realistic about things.

"Yeah, maybe it's your crush." The boy covered his mouth giggling and Kakashi chuckled slightly as he approached the counter. The young woman at the cash register didn't bother to ask what he needed, she knew he was the only person who read HIS books. She looked through a pile of books until she pulled out the one with his name printed on the orange cover.

She handed it over to him and smiled politely, even though her insides twisted just holding the book, who knows what was written in there.

"Thank you."

Kakashi decided to wander through the book store looking for anything of interest, although it didn't matter, he just didn't want to be caught leaving with the book in hand. So he attempted to shove it into his pocket while trying to cover it up by looking through other books, he pulled a random one off the shelf and behind it was the mask of an Anbu, Kakashi's face immediately darkened.

"Genma."

"Sorry to bother you Kakashi, but it's urgent."

Kakashi looked around to make sure no one was behind him and moved closer to the masked Anbu member, "What is it?"

"There's someone we caught outside of the perimeters, we took them in for interrogations and Ibiki said she asked for you."

Kakashi's heart leaped.

_She?_

"May I ask who?"

"I don't know her name, but she won't talk to anyone except for you. If you could hurry please, you'll find out more when you get there."

Genma's mask vanished and the only thing Kakashi could see was the aisle of books on the other side. Kakashi placed the book back into the shelf and walked out of the store, he jumped on the roof and began to hop over them one by one thinking of one person in mind, the only person who could ever do anything so foolish. His face hardened but he was also excited, he would finally be able to figure out at last everything about her.

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Tomoe slowly pushed herself backwards and balanced the chair on it's back legs, she ignored the whispering of Ibiki and another Anbu member that had just entered minutes ago. She heard them clearly though, they were talking about her, if she was a threat. They sensed no danger, Tomoe rolled her eyes at this thought.

Since she had no chakra, most ninjas didn't believe her to be strong, that's what she hated about them. They were so arrogant, with their noses high in the air. There was a reason ninjas and samurai were so different, samurai respected all but ninjas these days seemed to look down on the weak.

At least that's what she believed.

She was no saint, she knew that, but she needed the money. It wasn't the best way possible, but it was working out. She picked up her sword once again and killed those that she was told needed to be killed. Anyone who posed a threat to her or Kenshin would be killed by her hands and she would speak nothing of it, if she felt it needed to be done, then it was done.

There was a cloud of smoke and Tomoe smiled at the silver-haired ninja that now stood before her, glaring down at her. She tilted her head to the side to get a more clearer view of the man, "I've missed you, Kakashi."

"What are you doing here, Tomoe?"

She sat forward in her chair and smiled, "I told you we'd meet again. It's just destiny that-"

"You're stalking me."

Tomoe tilted her head back and laughed, the two ninja behind Kakashi eyed her strangely. She stretched her legs and tried to move her arms around but it was no use, she could never get anywhere near comfortable.

"I'm not stalking you."

"What is it then?"

"...I can't say with those two in here." She looked to Ibiki and Genma then back to Kakashi and raised her eyebrows, "If you want to know why, they need to leave."

"I guess we'll leave it to you Kakashi." Ibiki grunted and exited the room, Genma left as well, although he knew that he could easily slip back in, which he planned on doing.

Kakashi walked over to the table and grabbed a chair for him to sit on, he glanced at the table then looked back eyeing the white katana he was quite familiar with. He looked to Tomoe and back to the katana and picked it up, he dragged the chair and placed it in front of her and sat, he held the sword in both hands and looked up to Tomoe with a questioning gaze.

She smiled, "Of course." As if she had read his mind.

Kakashi grabbed the hilt of the katana and pulled it out of it's beautiful pearl white sheath, Tomoe closed her eyes and smiled as the steel rubbed against the wood of the sheath, it was one of her favorite sounds in the world. She opened her eyes as Kakashi held the blade out in front of him examining it carefully, she watched as his eye darted back and forth taking in every detail.

His eyes stopped at a name engraved in the sword, "Tenshi...?"

"My master, he taught me everything I know and hand made that katana for me many years ago."

Kakashi nodded and rubbed his thumbs on the silk that was wrapped elegantly around the hilt, it was black along with the black jewels encrusted into the guard of the katana. It was truly magnificent. He carefully placed it back in the wooden sheath and laid it down on Tomoe's lap, she smiled politely and stared at him.

"So...why are you really here?"

"Well," She looked away for a moment and gazed up at the ceiling wrinkling her nose, "looks like we have a rat."

Kakashi sighed and Genma jumped down beside his fellow Anbu member, "How did you sense me?"

Tomoe smiled, "I was trained under the Shinkendo style, and those who follow the Shinkendo style focus mostly on spiritual forging, Bushi Damashii. I have a different way of sensing you, by your spirit. We both share a warrior spirit, you being a ninja, and I being a samurai. The more powerful you are, the easier it is for me to sense you. Although, I must admit yours was very faint, I almost couldn't recognize you, you hid it well."

Genma was surprised actually, she was definitely very skilled. He simply bowed to the both of them and left the room, he wanted to try again, to see if maybe she was bluffing, he wanted to believe that he had slipped and made a noise. But he hadn't. He was trained so that he wouldn't make any slip ups. He smirked underneath his mask and disappeared.

For a moment, the two remained silent, staring at each other, like a sort of challenge. Until Kakashi finally spoke, "I've heard of the Shinkendo, but were you not also trained for peace?"

"Yes, I want nothing more than peace."

"Really?" Kakashi asked in a sarcastic tone.

"I have my reasons for resorting to violence, I'm not proud of it but the way things are these days, especially in my country, I'll do what I can to survive." Tomoe's face became empty as her mind drifted to the thoughts of her home, she tossed them aside and returned her focus to Kakashi. He just stared at her wondering what could have driven her to commit such acts, he put the thought aside recognizing that now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things.

He leaned forwards and eyed her carefully, "So you can sense chakra...but you have none?"

Tomoe wrinkled her nose and bit her cheek thinking for a moment, "That's not it, my training focuses on my spirit. My inner being, one would call it," Kakashi gave a blank stare, the woman let out a heavy sigh, "It's a very long explanation and we have no time for that."

Kakashi's eye narrowed, "I hope you haven't forgotten that you are under interrogation. By me."

"Ah, yes," She pulled at the rope around her wrists, looking back over her shoulder to peer down at her small wrists. They were a light color, the flow of blood having been slowed due to how tightly the rope was tied. Tomoe snorted and looked back towards Kakashi who seemed entertained by her petty attempt to free herself, the woman simply grinned, "And to answer your question from earlier," She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them slowly, her hands quickly slipped out from the ropes that tied her wrists together and she snatched her katana from her lap pulling it from its sheath. She pressed it against Kakashi's neck and smiled down at him, "I have orders to fulfill. I came all the way to Konoha for one reason, I'm here to kill you, Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

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**Hopefully it wasn't too cheesy for you guys. I was bit hesitant at first about this chapter, it's extremely short but I wanted to drop in some info about Tomoe, but not too much.**

**I'll leave that for the next ones to follow. I might update again soon, depending on how busy I am this weekend. I'm currently working on CH.9. We shall see readers! Have a great weekend everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Burning Bridges**

**CHAPTER FIVE.  
**

Ibiki watched as the Hokage began to soak up all the information he had told him, he had given a full description on Tomoe and had told him she was currently being interrogated by Kakashi. He would have performed a simple genjutsu but the problem was all her chakra points had been cut off, and doing so could cause severe brain damage and possibly instant death. His other methods proved failure and she had promised to reveal it all but only to the Copy Ninja himself, he didn't understand why but as long as they were able to figure out her reasons for her being near the village, then gathering the information didn't matter.

He was sure the girl wouldn't even be in the position she was in if she hadn't threatened or attacked the patrol scouts, it was a foolish move. They had agreed to take her son to the hospital but she insisted on making her escape, only worsening her situation.

"What do you think of all this, Ibiki?"

"I think it could be put to good use, if we get the information we need."

"I see."

The door to the Hokage's office opened and Genma appeared with his mask pulled over his head, he bowed politely and slipped inside, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"I thought you were going to keep an eye on the two?"

"She caught me." Genma approached the two and crossed his arms gazing at Ibiki who had a questioning look on his face, "She explained it was part of her training under the Shinkendo style that allowed her to sense warrior spirits."

Sarutobi lifted an eyebrow and smiled, "Is that so?"

"Yes sir, I was quite surprised myself, she has a good eye also, I had disguised myself in the darkness and she was able to find me quickly."

Ibiki smirked, Tomoe was a bright character, she had to be brought down by two elite jounins and even they struggled a bit.

The Hokage stood from his chair and gazed at the sun that hung high in the middle of the clear blue sky, it was about noon in Konoha. "I would like to meet this young woman, face to face."

"Shouldn't we wait, sir? I mean until we get a little information from her."

"I'm sure Kakashi has it all under control. I just want to introduce myself, who knows, we might even get to find out about her master, I used to know several samurai in my time."

Genma and Ibiki didn't doubt his statement, he was ancient, but they didn't disagree and the three headed out of the Hokage's office.

* * *

Kakashi jumped off the table that became two piece in mere seconds as Tomoe cut through it, she grinned up at Kakashi and readied to jump up and strike him but she felt a presence behind her. She raised her arms behind her and dodged his kunai with her blade. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms down. Her arms twitched in the uncomfortable position, he pushed her forward and delivered a harsh kick to her back. The brunette fell forward and slammed against the wall, she turned around and narrowed her eyes angrily at Kakashi. Her hazel eyes widened and she was thrown into a coughing fit, she covered her mouth with her hand and blood seeped out from between her fingers. For a moment Kakashi faltered, she had been coughing up a lot of blood, so he lowered his kunai. Tomoe pointed her katana up and flicked her wrist to wring the blood off her hand, "Don't lower your weapon."

"I'm not going to fight you anymore, you obviously need medical attention, this isn't a fair fight and you know it."

Tomoe wrinkled her nose and with her other hand she griped the hilt and tilted the blade and bent her knees ready to strike again, "Don't underestimate me," Blood seeped from her clenched teeth, her body trembled with rage. "You ninja have no respect for those below you, you believe in fighting only the strongest and being only the strongest. You don't even spit in the direction of those you claim to be under you. The age of the samurai ended long, long ago and we were forced into hiding. Our practices laughed at and put down by your jutsus and chakra, you don't think I can beat you? I'm TWICE as strong as any of your top ninja is this damned village!"

She sprinted towards Kakashi and he once again blocked with his kunai, the force of her attack forced him back a little, she pushed harder again with all her might. Kakashi never took his eyes off her for a moment, he had never seen this kind of rage in anyone, not even Yahiko, it was a different kind of anger, more like a woman with a vengeance. Anger caused by years of suppressed emotions and they were coming out all at once, into this last attack. He felt her become stronger and before he knew it her cheek grazed his and she whispered in his ear quietly, "You people may have taken away everything I own, but I will not allow you to take his life away! Not my Kenshin!"

Tomoe's katana split Kakashi's kunai into pieces and her blade sliced down his chest, he winced in pain and he fell back. His blood oozing from the large wound traveling from his left collar bone and stopping right above his diaphragm, she hadn't cut him deep enough to hit anything vital but it was deep enough for him to loose a lot of blood.

Kakashi gasped for air as the pain was beginning to spread throughout his body, he clenched his fists tightly and tried to sit up but fell back. Tomoe gazed down at him scornfully, "Weak." She flicked her blade and Kakashi's own blood splattered onto his face, she tilted her katana and slowly placed it back within the wooden sheath. She turned and headed towards the door, for a second she thought about looking back at him, to see his face, but she could already picture it in her mind and she smiled. Her bloody hand reached for the door and paused when a glint of light flickered on the metal of the handle, then the room was filled with a crackling sound that sounded like a thousand birds screeching into her ears. Her eyes widened and she slowly turned around to see Kakashi standing with what looked to be a ball of electricity forming in his palm. He glared at her angrily and panted, blood spilling from his chest down to the floor.

Her hazel eyes reflected the white and blue light and her mouth opened slightly, she felt her heart sink into her stomach and she began to tremble out of fear. She had never seen anything like it before.

"Don't make me kill you, we can stop the battle right here, right now. I need your word."

Tomoe swallowed and narrowed her eyes dangerously, her hand reached for her katana but as soon as he saw her move he acted without hesitation and sprinted to her at lightning speed.

Her eyes widened and she felt air escape her lungs. It wasn't even a second that had gone by, she hadn't seen him move. It was like trying to catch a hummingbird, he was so fast it was impossible, the crackling and screeching of his attack rang through her ears and haunted her. Her hands dropped to her side and she gazed up at the silver-haired ninja in shock, he didn't look at her. His eye was facing the stone wall behind her, she sensed the intensity he was giving off and slowly his eye traveled down to meet hers.

Her usually spirited eyes were emptied and full of fear, they were glued to him. She didn't move or breathe, it was as if she was a statue, her mouth was opened and dry blood smeared on her cheeks. He released his jutsu and the room returned to its usually dimmed lighting, neither moved or blinked. Suddenly Tomoe inhaled and moved against the wall, her face became a shocking white and she trembled violently.

It was almost painful for Kakashi to look at, no one had ever looked at him with such fear. Not the way she was looking at him.

"You may be right about ninja putting themselves at the top, that we strive to be the strongest, that we look down on the weak. That may be true, but in Konoha... We're nothing like the scum you call 'ninja'. We strive to be the strongest to protect the ones we love, and to protect those who need us. We never refuse help to those who ask, there are ninja who have chosen to walk the path of the damned, then there are the ninja who, regardless of clan or descendancy, ignored their calling and have lived to protect what they believe in. Ninja who die for what they believe is right."

Kakashi's hand slipped off the wall and he placed his hand on his forehead protector, "Whatever it is you have against ninja, whoever has caused you to believe in such garbage, I suggest you open your eyes and look at the world around you. It's time to get out of that world of yours."

Tomoe clutched the grip on her katana tightly and closed her eyes, she felt her throat sting and made a soft whining noise. Kakashi took a step back from her, the bleeding had slowed down but he could still feel that burning sensation, but he tried his best to ignore it.

"Now tell me, who sent you to kill me?"

Tomoe looked up at him strangely, his once angry expression had changed to one that was mellow and his tone had softened from the harsh one he had been using just moments before. She tilted her head and closed her eyes, she wanted to smile, but felt that it was inappropriate considering the events that had just occurred. She looked up to him, her hazel eyes full of sorrow and confusion, "I'm sorry."

* * *

The Hokage, Genma and Ibiki traveled in a sort of line leading down the prisoners hallway, the room where they had left Kakashi and Tomoe was just four doors down. As they grew closer a foul stench became stronger until it became unbearable, the three began to pick up the pace until they were standing in front of the door, it gave off an eerie aura.

"What do you think happened?"

The Hokage ignored Genma's question and opened the door, Tomoe was standing to the left of the room against the wall, while Kakashi was standing a few feet away from her. Blood was splattered on both their faces and on the ground, he took notice to the large wound on Kakashi's chest and his gaze quickly moved to Tomoe.

Her hand was covered in blood as well as her mouth, she was in a sort of slouched position, he assumed that she too had received a harsh injury. Genma rushed to Kakashi while Ibiki moved towards Tomoe, questions were being thrown around, the ones of Genma were asked in a calm, concerned tone while Ibiki's were angry and ended with a sort of growl.

"What happened? How long has it been since you've had this? Do you feel light headed?"

"I should have forced it out of you while I had the chance! How dare you attack a ninja, an Anbu at that! You've just signed your own death warrant!"

The Hokage stared down at the table that had been split into two pieces down the middle, he inspected it closer, it was a clean cut. She used a lot of force with whatever happened, he moved towards the two and cleared his throat, the four of them turned their attention to the old man.

"Genma, Ibiki, I would like to be alone with Kakashi and Tomoe for a moment." The two bowed but not before giving a concerned look or an angry glare to either Kakashi or Tomoe. Once they were out of the room Sarutobi directed his attention to Tomoe. "A crime like this calls for severe punishment, or death. You do understand correct?"

She didn't reply, instead she closed her eyes and tried to take in a deep breath but she was in too much pain.

Kakashi glanced at her and remembered the look on her face when he had attacked her. The use of his Chidori was to intimidate her, perhaps even convince her to stop fighting, but her reaction to it was something he'd never seen before, he felt a tiny ping of regret.

"What happened here, Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked back to Tomoe recalling what she had spoken to him. How someone had taken away everything from her, and the life she was fighting to save. He remembered the anger he had seen from her, the words she spit at him of spite and rage, where had it all come from? What was it she was hiding? There had to be a logical reason and he would find out one way or the other.

"We fought, I provoked it though, a mistake on my part as you can see," Tomoe gawked over to the silver-haired ninja, he returned her look of shock with the same dull expression he always wore, "She was merely defending herself. I should have handled myself better"

She smiled softly and her eyes fell to her feet, her once white bandages were soaked with blood and dirt, Kakashi was something else. The Hokage couldn't help but chuckle at the two, he could see right through their facade, but as long as there was no longer a threat then it would be fine.

"Well then, allow me to introduce myself Tomoe, I'm the Hokage of Konohagakure." He smiled politely to her but she was distracted by something else, she quickly rush towards Kakashi who was falling forward. She caught him but fell back herself, she fell on her knees and scrapped them as she slipped trying to hold him up. She turned him around laying his head on her lap, she removed her katana from her hip and placed beside her. Kakashi looked up to her and sighed, she simply smiled down at him and felt her heart flutter a little when his breath caressed her face.

"Guess I'm just a little tired."

"Still guessing?" Tomoe smiled and Kakashi couldn't help but smile back, behind the blood and sweat that stuck to her face, she was still beautiful. The freckles around her nose that were hidden behind the drying blood were slightly visible and her small pink lips formed a bright smile, it was peaceful in a way, if not for the pain in his chest. "Come on, let's get you up," Tomoe carefully pushed his body forward and helped him to his feet, she wrapped his arm around her neck and held it tightly. She slipped her other arm around his waist and Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little bit excited. "Ready?"

Kakashi glanced down at her, she was looking at the Hokage who had began to head towards the door, "Are you sure you're ok?"

Tomoe looked up at him and smiled, "I'm in better shape than you are obviously, worry about yourself right now." She looked down at her feet then back to him and whispered, "Thank you."

Kakashi nodded and felt a little embarrassed but took a small step forward and Tomoe followed until their footsteps were in sync with one another, they walked out of the room to be met by Ibiki and Genma who stared at the two strangely.

"Kakashi needs to be taken to the hospital, and Tomoe as well."

"I'm quite fine, Hokage."

"Just a check up then."

Tomoe thought for a moment and nodded, the Hokage smiled and looked to Kakashi, "Do you think you could do a jutsu there with Tomoe? I will send Ibiki with you, Genma I would like for you to stay with me."

"Of course sir." Genma stood beside the Hokage and watched as Ibiki, Kakashi and Tomoe disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

**Hi. I'm back. :)**


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